The Old Folks Home

[1kluckychik]

What is that?

 

[bruceha2000]

Tomatoes here look just like that!


In July

 

[superchemicalgirl]

What is that?

That's what my yard looks like. Bird prints on snowy canvas. In this case, ducks.

 

[perchie.girl]

Quote:
Love the turn of phraze


deb

 

[Wisher1000]

...speaking of ducks, I took on duck eggs to hatch for a man. He provided me with about 45 of the nastiest eggs I have ever seen. I washed them and sprayed them with a weak Betadine solution.

At day 14, I candled and threw out all but 21 that all went into the hatcher on day 22 because they had started to pip. The first four pipped and zipped and popped out just fine. Several pipped and stopped, some didn't pip at all. I gave them about 36 hours and started to help. I managed to get 6 live ducklings out by helping, but one of the first four died while I was at work. Two of the ones I helped out have deformaties on the back of their heads. They look like the ones with the feather tufts, but they have other issues as well.

Is this typical of ducks? How likely is it an issue with incubation if there were also chicks cooking at the same time (which produced my best hatch ever!?)

 

[NotAFarm]

Ah well, this time of year it melts fast.

Anyone else starting seeds? I have to start my tomatoes this weekend but I got my peppers started and some early cold stuff (bulb onions, cabbages, celery). Do you do anything special to start them? What do you use as a mix? I use a (patent pending) combo of organic Jiffy starter, peat moss, vermiculite and lobster compost. Lobster compost is something I have only seen up here, but it's compost made with the shells of lobster from our processing plants. My plants love it. I have a seed starting area with grow lights on a timer and heat mats and a fan. It works pretty well. Once it gets warmer I have a cold frame outside to transfer them to.

Looks like the snow storm will stay north of the IL-WI state line. Just a cold rain for us this evening, with a chance of an inch or so of snow through tomorrow night.

No seeds started yet but I have onion plants that are on their way from Dixondale Farms in TX. I'll be setting them on Saturday...weather permitting.

We have blooms on our tomatoes

 

[perchie.girl]

...speaking of ducks, I took on duck eggs to hatch for a man. He provided me with about 45 of the nastiest eggs I have ever seen. I washed them and sprayed them with a weak Betadine solution.

At day 14, I candled and threw out all but 21 that all went into the hatcher on day 22 because they had started to pip. The first four pipped and zipped and popped out just fine. Several pipped and stopped, some didn't pip at all. I gave them about 36 hours and started to help. I managed to get 6 live ducklings out by helping, but one of the first four died while I was at work. Two of the ones I helped out have deformaties on the back of their heads. They look like the ones with the feather tufts, but they have other issues as well.

Is this typical of ducks? How likely is it an issue with incubation if there were also chicks cooking at the same time (which produced my best hatch ever!?)

 

[Alaskan]

What is that?

That's what my yard looks like. Bird prints on snowy canvas. In this case, ducks. 

Hah!

I thought that was duck prints on the bottom of a muddy puddle.


@bruceha2000
Glad I am not the only one that didn't get their kid a license at 16.

 

[Alaskan]

...speaking of ducks, I took on duck eggs to hatch for a man.  He provided me with about 45 of the nastiest eggs I have ever seen.  I washed them and sprayed them with a weak Betadine solution. 

At day 14, I candled and threw out all but 21 that all went into the hatcher on day 22 because they had started to pip.  The first four pipped and zipped and popped out just fine.  Several pipped and stopped, some didn't pip at all.  I gave them about 36 hours and started to help.  I managed to get 6 live ducklings out by helping, but one of the first four died while I was at work.  Two of the ones I helped out have deformaties on the back of their heads. They look like the ones with the feather tufts, but they have other issues as well. 

Is this typical of ducks?  How likely is it an issue with incubation if there were also chicks cooking at the same time (which produced my best hatch ever!?) 

I always incubate my ducks with my chicken... No problems. Of course, mine are muscovy.

That sounds all kind of odd, but I have no idea where the blame should fall.

I would guess genetics..... But do not know


I have incubated dirty eggs... And those are more likely to get infections in the yolk and similar, but they do NOT end up with head deformities, or any other kind of deformity.

 

[Beer can]

Hah!

I thought that was duck prints on the bottom of a muddy puddle.

X2, I thought so also, pretty cool!

@bruceha2000
Glad I am not the only one that didn't get their kid a license at 16.

My parent's didn't pay for mine, made me pay myself, think I was 20 by time I could afford it (or cared enough) , riding a dirtbike on the main road, costly learning experience...